Geographic thought : A philosophical construct of geography as the mother of all sciences

A philosophical foundation was secured for geography within the framework of the philosophy of science. This was done by the great Prussian philosopher, Immanuel Kant. Kant stated that empirical knowledge could be considered from three organizational view point.

^{Image source Pixabay. CC0 creative commons license. Image by Geralt}

• The first is to sort facts according to the kind of objects studied, which is the realm of the “systematic sciences”.e.g geology, botany, zoology e.t.c
• The second is to study facts in their relationship through time which is the “historical sciences”.as we all know historical sciences has to do with the past, ancient knowledge of the past. For example archeology, history
• The third viewpoint is to study things as they are associated with space and this can be referred to as the “geographical sciences”.

The philosophic construct of Immanuel Kant gave geography a honorable status amongst the sciences and it is now common knowledge that it was Immanuel Kant who provided a philosophical justification for geography.

Geography simply means the description of the earth but modern geography is concerned with more. This means that it also concerned with man as well as with earth and with the relationship and analysis as well as with the description of things in the milieu.

In the words of Rhoads Murphy,

the geographer analyses the physical world and examine relationships between places in order to throw more light on the pattern and nature of human society.

He investigates the inter-relationship which exists within man and his physical environment. He examines regional differences, attempts to account for them, pick out regional patterns and tries to draw regional lines and to discern regional relationships.

The geographer concentrates on the study of the earth and its spatial framework or the pattern of distribution of things on the earth’s surface, towards a better understanding of the human world. He also sets man in the frame work of the earth which he inhabits.

As a result of all these explanations, a brief definition of geography could thus be “the study of earth as the home of man” or more precisely “a science of spatial relationships which focuses attention mainly on the interaction between man and his environment. Thus, what gives geography its character is its concern with the character of "place" that is the integrated whole of a people and its habitats, and the inter-relationships between places.

Geography is thus, a science of synthesis which seeks to understand a given area in terms of the total integration of the various phenomena which characterize it.it is distinguished from the other branches of study mainly because of this concern and ability to see a place in it total character and not in terms of a single phenomenon or group of isolated phenomena.

Most sciences specialize in one particular set of phenomena: for example plants science, rocks, economic, or political behavior etc. Naturally, researchers in this field are puzzled by the effort and claims of geography. They feel that the geographer puts his nose into any and every subject which is already taken care by the ‘’specialized’’ sciences. From their point of view, geography is merely putting together the finding of other sciences; in other words, geography has no contribution of its own.

Perhaps all that needs be said in this regard is that these researchers do not quite understand what geography sets out to do and/or what is actually doing. It is necessary to remind such researchers that the geographer does not study climate,topography,people, crops, customs ,mineral, soils, etc. for their own sake, but because he sees them as part of an inter-related complex that gives character to a place.

It is the place (region, country, area, or whatever you choose to call it) that the geographer wants to understand. No other sciences does this. Geographers are inquisitive and as such they can ask implied, direct and indirect questions which makes them (geographers) ask about spatial processes and structure of things in the milieu.

What makes geography distinct from other sciences…, no other science consistently concern itself with distribution of phenomena in terrestrial space; no other science consistently concerns itself with spatial structure of thing in the environment. The question about location, spatial structure, and spatial process which we ask and answer distinguish geography from the other sciences.

This does not, however, eliminate all doubts about the worth of geography, doubts which are expressed even within the profession. For instance, in the face of ever more specialized research, is there a place for a discipline that insists on taking a comprehensive view of earth and man? The answer is simply; yes.

Perhaps, geography is encompassing the spirit of time, but its way of looking at the world counterbalances artificial partition. The greater the fragmentation of knowledge, the more need there is for putting the bits together again in an orderly way to understand the reality of places.

Generally, geography’s overzealous issue, which it shares with other branches of science, is that of a full understanding of the vast system on the earth’s surface comprising man and the natural environment.

Of the three great parameters of concern to scientist, space, time and composition of matter, geography is concerned with two. Geography treats the man-environment system primarily from the point of view of space in time’’.it seeks to explain how the sub-systems of the physical environment are organized on the earth’s surface, and how man distributes himself over the earth in his space relation to physical features and to other organisms.

Geographers have long believe that correlations of spatial distribution are among the most needy keys to understanding existing or developing life system, social systems or environmental changes.

As geographers undertook such studies in the past they favored heavily the empirical-deductive (actual facts gotten from real life practical or experiments) science method. More recently, the theoretical-deductive methods have been applied. The two currents are now achieving a healthy balance within the research clusters that are on the growing edge of the field.

Geographical analysis

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Each of the sciences represents one approach among many to the common objective of knowledge about mankind and his survival in his home “earth”, “and the distinctive nature of these various approaches is dependent on what each of the sciences is intending to gain which involves sets of mutually exclusive facts about its discipline, tools that can be used to gather facts or methods.

^{Different types of maps are used as great tools for geographical analysis. Image source Wikimedia. CC3.0 License. Image by Captain Blood}

Broadly speaking, the geographer is looking for spatial form and spatial relations. In other words, for patterns of distribution and interaction, “a concrete fact with which the other disciplines are less concerned and which they are less likely to discover, although they may find the geographer’s conclusion useful towards their own purposes”
The distinct areas of analysis explored by geography may be summarized under three main headings as follows,

• The distribution and relationship of mankind over the earth and the spatial aspects of human settlement and use of earth.
• The inter-relationship of human society and the physical environment as part of the study of a real difference in space
• The original framework or outlook and the analysis of specific regions (areas).

Geography is understandably a very broad subject with numerous relationships with other disciplines and several branches within its framework and all these also emphasize the nature of the interdisciplinary structure and functions of geography.

Maps in the hands of a geographer also aid the achievement of the objective of geography as the map is the distinctive tool of the geographer. It is equally only with a map that spatial relations and spatial form can best be seen and analyzed.

A map is also a convenient inventory of selected information made available for immediate visual inspection, in the form exact locations and spatial pattern which are manifestation of various relationships within sciences in the milieu.
A recent development on geographic methodology is the use of system approach. The use of system in geographical studies has increased since the early 1960s.

Over this period of time, geographers has recognized that system mode of thought and organizations has reduced the tendency of dichotomies in their subject or approaches to its study. There are basically four reasons why systems are such a useful and fundamental organizational concept in the philosophical construct of geography.

^{The panaromic view of Alanya, Turkey. Image source Wikimedia. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Image by Patrickneil}

First, systems are monistic in nature which means it brings together all relevant component of the physical and human environment. The second is that geographic systems are well structured in a way in which it can be easily monitored and investigated for a better understanding of the systems. The third being that systems are active entities functioning as a base for the study of the earth’s energy and matter output as a unique whole.

Geographers are particularly interested in systems which link together man and his environment, or what may simply be referred to as environmental systems in particular. Systems analysis at finally, provides geography with a unifying methodology, and using it geography no longer stand apart from the mainstream of scientific process.

Conclusion

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The objectives of geography are clear and its methods relates to those objectives. It needs no argument to assert that any educated man should understand as much as possible of the world society in which he lives in.

The objectives of geography are clear and its methods relates to those objectives. It needs no argument to assert that any educated man should understand as much as possible of the world society in which he lives in. An understanding of man’s distribution over the earth, the different uses to which he has put different part of his understanding. The cultures and economies he has created and the spatial inter-relationships which exists between and have influenced those patterns or in a word,geographer has a fundamental place in the equipment of an educated man.

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REFERENCES

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1. History of Geography -wikipedia
2. Geographic thought -geo.hunter
3. Geographic information system -wikipedia

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